The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has announced that the total prize pool for the January 2012 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC) in Las Vegas is expected to rise to an

estimated $2 million, and that the grand prize will double to an estimated $1 million.

By comparison, the upcoming 2011 NHC—to be held January 28-29 at Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas—will offer a total estimated prize pool of $1.1 million and a grand prize of $500,000.

The higher prize structure will be made possible by a tournament expansion which will increase the number of finalists in Las Vegas from an estimated 321 in 2011 to approximately 500 in 2012. Finalists must still have qualified during the year in order to compete at the NHC finals. However, tourney host participation will now be available to all pari-mutuel operators throughout North America.

“NHC tourney participation by customers remains very strong, and the demand to host NHC qualifiers continues to exceed our current supply of available berths at the finals,” said Keith Chamblin, senior vice president of the NTRA. “With these changes, we will address customer demand in a way that will grow the tournament and better reward North America’s sharpest handicappers.”

New for 2012 is that all contestants at qualifying tournaments must have paid a one-time annual membership fee of $45 in order to be eligible to compete at the National Championship. Included in the annual fee is free participation in a number of online NHC qualifying tournaments offering berths in the NHC, as well as other benefits that will be announced prior to the signup period. Contestants may opt not to purchase the $45 annual membership, but they would then be competing in qualifying tournaments for purse money only at the qualifiers, and not for the available berths in the NHC Finals. NHC berths at a given qualifier will only be available to those who are paid members prior to the start of competition at a qualifying tournament.

Since its inception in 2000, the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship has experienced significant growth. The inaugural NHC, held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, offered a total purse of $242,000, with $100,000 to the winner.

In just its 12th year, the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship is the most important tournament of the year for horseplayers and is the culmination of a year-long series of NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments conducted by racetracks, casino race books, off-track betting facilities and horse racing and handicapping websites, each of which sends its top qualifiers to the national finals. Each year, the NHC winner joins other human and equine champions as an honoree at the Eclipse Awards.

The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers, horseplayers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and Rye Brook, N.Y. NTRA press releases appear on the NTRA web site, NTRA.com.

(NTRA)